Salary Increment for State Officers Stands, Despite Ruto’s Rejection
Despite President William Ruto’s decision. The proposed salary increase for state officers for the Financial Year 2023 to 2025 will go forward as planned.
The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) has refuted claims. That this move is intended to protect senior government officials from the effects of increased taxes. That will be implemented as a result of the Finance Act 2023.
Due to what the SRC refers to as “financial constraints,” the majority of civil servants who fall under the low-income scale category will be required to wait longer before they can begin to enjoy the benefits of the harmonization of the wage bill.
The constitutional principles that are based on the five pillars that guide remunerations will bind us. And we will be required to abide by them. We determine compensation based on the job, not the person doing the work. One person may step down from their role, but not the role itself. We decided upon a price to pay for the roles. The Chairperson of the SRC, Lyn Mengich, stated during a press conference on Saturday that “as an individual, that is a personal prerogative.”
It is within President Ruto’s constitutional right, according to Mengich. To seek information regarding the harmonization of the wage bill across the public service. However, it is not within his constitutional right to instruct the commission on its mandate. Mengich made this statement.
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“There is a role for the President in public participation. We made ourselves known to the presidency. He offered his feedback and inquired about some information at the same time. It is appropriate for the President to consult the SRC whenever he feels the need to obtain information, such as the compression ratio in this instance. It is within his rights to participate in public engagements and to inquire about information…she remarked that we will provide information in response to his concerns.
On Friday, President William Ruto’s deputy, William Ruto, made the following statement: “I have instructed SRC to give us international best practices because we need to reduce the gap between all of us who work for the people of Kenya. Because we are all workers, we must take measures to ensure that the pay differential between those making the least and those making the most is not too great.
However, the commission refuted the notion that the purpose of the ongoing review of salaries for state officers is to protect them from the effects of increased taxes as a result of the Finance Act 2023.
This is not a response to the current state of the economy; rather, it is a constitutional mandate. It is not fair to public officers who, for the past two years, have had their pay increases frozen. “The SRC Act makes provision for it,” Mengich explained.
She went on to say that the SRC Act established a four-year review cycle of salary and remuneration, with the first review beginning in 2013 and the current review being in the third cycle between 2021 and 2025. The initial review began in 2013.
She explained, “Because of COVID’s financial difficulties, there was a freeze in place for two years.”
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SRC also disclosed that it requires Ksh.340 billion on an annual basis to effectively harmonize the wage bill in comparison to the Ksh.22.6 billion it received from Treasury for the Financial Year 2023/2024. The current cost of the wage bill is Ksh.998 billion, and it is anticipated that it will reach the Ksh1 trillion mark shortly.
The cash shortfall prevents us from having harmonized salary structures for our employees. Productivity is what needs to be our primary focus. Some CEOs make 5 million Kenyan shillings per year, while the President of the country only makes 1.6 million…Take a look at the competition…she went on to say that “pay in public service does not look at taking pay higher.”
The SRC’s most recent proposal for a salary and remuneration review for state officers, public officers, and civil servants is currently in the public participation phase of the process.
Salary Increment for State Officers Stands, Despite Ruto’s Rejection
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